Get to Know

Our Team

Featured Participant, Ukraine

"The GSMP was amazing. It made such a big impact in my life that when I got back home everyone noticed it. I was not a different person, but I completely improved. I came back with a widened horizon both personally and professionally. And I’m already feeling already like I’m no longer an ’emerging leader,’ but just a leader. Whenever I plan something or implement a project, I go back to my experience in the program and I see so many ideas and so many inspirational people. It’s that kind of inspiration that sticks around even when I don’t have any energy. Despite an..."

The Partnership

Coming together over a shared goal to increase sports opportunities for women and girls around the world, the U.S. Department of State and ESPN first teamed up in 2012 to develop what became the Global Sports Mentoring Program.

In a joint collaboration, the U.S. Department of State, University of Tennessee’s Center for Sport, Peace & Society and espnW work hand-in-hand to organize and implement GSMP: Empower Women through Sports. This mentorship experience pairs emerging female sports leaders with top American executives with the primary aim of increasing opportunities for women and girl around the world to participate in sports and physical activity.

Developed in response to the success of the first program, GSMP: Sport for Community is collaboration between the Department of State and the University of Tennessee Center for Sport, Peace & Society. Similar in format to its companion program, S4C pairs emerging male and female sports leaders with business leaders at American NGOs and sports organizations with the key focus in 2016 on increasing opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in sports and physical activity.

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs promotes mutual understanding between Americans and people from around the world through a wide range of academic, cultural, private sector, professional and sports exchange programs. These international exchanges engage youth, students, educators, artists, athletes and emerging leaders from the United States and nearly 170 countries. Alumni of these exchanges comprise over one million people around the world, including more than 50 Nobel Laureates and more than 350 current or former heads of state and government.

The University of Tennessee Center for Sport, Peace & Society

The Center for Sport, Peace and Society, housed in the University of Tennessee’s College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, is composed of faculty, staff, and students who believe that sport can be used to support individual and community development. The Center aims to promote cultural understanding between UT students and diverse communities through sport-based service. The center works in collaboration with community leaders to develop context-specific programming and is specifically interested in global solidarity and inclusion of under-served populations (e.g. women and girls, refugees/internally displaced, persons with disabilities). It is the hope of the Center that through sport, individuals will become empowered change agents interested in promoting peace and inclusivity in global and local communities.

espnW

The mission of espnW is to serve women as fans and athletes. espnW.com provides an engaging environment that offers total access to female athletes and the sports they play, takes fans inside the biggest events, and shares a unique point of view on the sports stories that matter most to women. Founded in July, 2010, espnW is a multi-media brand that lives across television, films, events, digital and social platforms. The annual espnW: Women + Sports Summit is the leading event of its kind in the sports industry.